By running missions to Israel and the West Bank that showcase, among other things, Palestinian experiences at Israeli checkpoints, J Street is trying to present an alternative to the usual pro-Israel fare on congressional missions to Israel.

The case of Khader Adnan, a Palestinian detainee who galvanized Palestinian and some Israeli and international support with his 66-day hunger strike, has ignited a debate in Israel about the issue of administrative detention.

When Israel’s first prime minister granted a few hundred haredi Orthodox Jews an exemption from army service, it’s likely he never dreamed that 63 years later, tens of thousands of haredi Israelis would claim the exemption — or that the issue would be among the most contentious in modern Israel.

The indictment of former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and 17 other Israelis on charges related to one of the largest real estate scandals in Israeli history is the latest shoe to drop in a country where political corruption has come to be seen as endemic.

Israel’s treatment of its Palestinian prisoners is closely watched and sometimes criticized by Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups, but Israel supporters argue that the treatment reflects well on Israel and contrasts sharply with how Israeli captives have been treated by Palestinians.

Israeli couples increasingly are seeking to create weddings that are more reflective of their own lifestyles. But because Israel has no civil marriage, this puts many couples on a collision course with the Orthodox-controlled Rabbinate.

Images showing Gilad Shalit arriving back in Israel prompted tears of joy in many corners of Israel, but families of the victims of the Palestinian terrorists who were freed as part of the swap with Hamas said the deal marked a victory for the terrorists.